Gazzy the Vampire Slayer
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: <html><head></head>Something's up with Max. She's biting people and suddenly very reclusive. Not that the Gasman's worried. Because there's no way that Max is...but what if Max is...could Max really be...a vampire? - Post-Nevermore. Two-shot.</html>
1. Chapter 1

Gazzy the Vampire Slayer

Chapter 1

"Fang, you were the one that-"

"No, Max. Not cool. Not cool at all."

"A lot of people do it, Fang. Seriously, just-"

"What's wrong with you guys?" Gazzy asked as Max and Fang walked passed him down the beach, arguing loudly. At the sound of his voice, each turned to glare at him.

"Nothing," Max hissed while Fang answered.

"She freaking bit me."

"Out of love, Fang."

"Oh, bull."

Gasman just sat there for a moment, staring at them as they now took to arguing right in front of him. Honestly, it was way too late for him to be out of his hut that he shared with Iggy, but Max and Fang were too busy with each other to notice that. Boy was he glad too. Because Max had gotten on him three times in that week alone about him not going to bed on time. It wasn't his fault that he liked to go down to the beach and work on bombs and such when everyone else was asleep.

"I'll, uh, just leave you guys then," Gasman said slowly as they continued to argue. He could see, even by the light of the moon, the mark on Fang's neck that Max had left. She had bit him hard enough to break skin. "And, uh, take these little metal parts and such that have absolutely nothing to do with bombs."

They were ignoring him though, as Max continued to yell at Fang that she had bit him out of passion or something. Gross. The ten year old just quickly packed up all his stuff before heading back to his hut.

Iggy was asleep when he got there and Gasman just left him alone as he curled up in his little pallet on the ground.

Max bit Fang? Why would Max ever bite him? Hmmm.

* * *

><p>The Gasman really didn't think much about the biting incident from that point forth, as he had so much going on in his life at that point. He had to do his work around the island, help Fang work on his and Max's little treehouse that they were rebuilding, as well as practice for soccer (it was the only ball they had left after the football had somehow ended up punctured and unusable). Quite honestly, he thought that he was the best soccer player ever in existence, but that was just his opinion. All the kids on the island had split off into teams and at the end of every month, they would have a big tournament. His team had never won, but he just felt something inside him that month. It was finally their turn. He just knew it.<p>

Quite honestly, he was so busy with his own life that it was a few days until the Gasman saw Max again. It was after Iggy had insisted that the Flock get together and eat a meal with one another that he did see her. Iggy and Ella were back on (they were one of _those couples,_ or so Nudge said), so everyone was pretty much fine with meeting one night.

Gasman was with Iggy and helped him prepare the meal that day. They caught a few bunnies together and also dipped into Iggy's supply of spices and home-grown vegetables. There was a community garden on the island, but Iggy also had his own secret one that he only ever let Gasman help him with. Not that Gazzy was bragging or anything…

Nudge and Ella were the first to arrive at the little get-together. Ella immediately started going on and on about how amazing of a cook her boyfriend was and Iggy soaked it right up. Nudge just made a barfing noise, which the Gasman agreed with, wholeheartedly. Gross.

Then Angel showed up with Dylan and Total. Dylan and Angel had both been helping in the labs or something. Whatever. Gasman wasn't too concerned with either of them. Dylan could be fun sometimes, when he helped Gasman learn a new move for soccer or something, but other than that he was just like a girl. Far too much drama for his liking.

And of course eventually the King and Queen of everything (or at least that's what they thought) showed up late as usual and fighting. Honestly, that was all Max did recently was fight. Mostly with Fang though, so that was good. At least it kept the heat of Gazzy. That was all he really cared about.

"Oh, because it's my fault, Fang? Seriously?"

"It is your fault, Max, that you slept all day."

"I'm sorry that I just didn't feel like getting up."

"Oh, what? The bright sun not enough of a clue to you to get out of bed?"

Dylan looked up as Max and Fang came into the clearing, no doubt glad that they were fighting. Everyone else only groaned though. The only thing worse than Iggy and Ella fighting was Max and Fang fighting.

"What's wrong, guys?" Nudge asked cautiously as they came over to the fire pit.

"Max stayed in bed all day and for some reason that's my fault."

"I told you last night, Fang, that I had a headache. You should have woken me up when you saw that I overslept."

"Sleep's good for the body," Iggy said simply to Max before grinning. "Now, guys, I want you to try something. I cured the meat a little bit differently. Tell me if you can tell what sort of ingredient I-"

"God, Iggy, what's that smell?" Max immediately threw her hand over her nose, frowning.

Fang just made a face before taking his seat. "What are you talking about? It just smells like-"

"Is that garlic? Ew, God, it is. I'm going to seriously barf."

"Max, what is your-"

"That smell. God, I just-"

"Calm down," Iggy said with a sigh. "I'll cook you something without garlic. Just sit down."

"You sure have been in a bad mood recently," Fang remarked with a frown as Max slowly sat down, though she kept her hand over her nose. Angel came over almost immediately, staring up at Max with concern.

Gasman only sat there, staring blankly at his technical caregiver. Garlic. Garlic. Since when did Max start to hate garlic? Hmmm.

* * *

><p>Gazzy was really confident about the tournament that month. It just so happened also to fall on Halloween, as it was October and was always held on the last day. He figured that would be a good day to win it on, as it would be funny and bragging rights would be major. Halloween wasn't very big on the island, but it was still at time for the older kids to try and scare the younger ones and for the really little kids to play pretend that they were witches or ghosts or whatever.<p>

The Gasman's little team was pretty awesome at soccer too, if he could say so himself. Even though they had a girl on their team, it wasn't so bad. She was pretty much like a boy anyways. Kind of like Max.

It was after practice one day when the Gasman decided to go visit Max. She hadn't been around a lot recently and he was honestly worried about her. The last he had seen her was at that get-together that Iggy had and she had more or less been a big brat at that.

So, dribbling his soccer ball the entire way, the Gasman set out to go and check in on Max. He thought he'd start at her hut, on the off chance she was there. She probably wasn't though, as she usually was working in the labs or helping Fang rebuild their treehouse. She was just as busy of a person as he was, after all.

Max and Fang's hut was set off from all the others, since she thought she was so important and everything, up a little path into the forest. Whatever. No one really complained much. Max was their leader, after all. And she had been his for as long as he could remember.

He was singing softly under his breath, some song that he might have heard once, on the radio before the world tried to commit suicide and destroy itself. He really wasn't too sure on all the words, but he had the rhythm down pat, which made it sound at least decent.

"Whoa there, Gazzy," Fang said as he came walking the other way down the path, clearly coming from his hut. "Where you going, buddy?"

"To see Max," he said, coming to a stop in front of the other man. "Is she not home right now?"

"She is," Fang said slowly before letting out a slight sigh. "But she's sort of…well…busy. Something you need?"

Gazzy just shrugged. "I just wanted to see Max. What's she busy with?"

"Some stuff."

"Well, I'll just go and say hey and-"

"No can do, buddy," Fang said before reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Why don't you and I go work on your soccer skills a little, huh?"

Gasman was ecstatic at the suggestion. He always wanted to spend more time with Fang. He was, like, one of his idols, after all, being one of his technical older brothers. More so than Dylan and maybe a little bit more than Iggy, who was more of a friend than a mentor. Fang was the coolest. He was just so dark and didn't care about nothing. It was obvious why the Gasman, being such a young boy, would venerate him so.

Then the suspicion set in. Why was Fang stopping Gazzy from seeing Max? Max never worked in their hut. What could she possibly be busy with in there? And why did it have to be done inside the hut? And would Gazzy stopping by to say hey really disturb her that much? Really?

"What's Max doing?" Gazzy asked Fang as they started the other way, back down the path. "Fang?"

"Uh…well…She's not really doing anything. She's just…"

"Just what?"

"The…The sun," Fang decided on suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Her eyes are really sensitive right now," Fang explained. "She's, uh, got a headache, you know? And her eyes are sensitive. To the sun."

"So Max can't go out into the sun?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Fang nodded his head then, as if he had just come up with something groundbreaking. "The sun. Max can't be in the sun right now."

Gasman could hardly walk then as Fang led him down the path, away from the hut. Still, he was able to look over his shoulder and gulp slightly.

Things were starting to add up. And they were not looking too good.

* * *

><p>The days were passing quickly and the Gasman immersed himself as much as he could in his soccer practices. The semi-finals would be on the thirtieth and then the finals would be on All Hollows Eve. He knew with certainty that they could get passed the first rounds, but it was the finals that had him fearful.<p>

Still, too, in the back of Gazzy's mind, he had that little nagging bit of fear associated with the ramifications of what Max very well might be turning into. Biting people, hating garlic, and being afraid of the sun? Not to mention, Gasman had never seen Max exactly touch a cross or anything religious. The evidence was slowly pointing to one thing.

But he couldn't jump to conclusions, couldn't just go find a big stake to drive through her heart. Not by that evidence alone. It wasn't enough. He had to wait, had to see. Max would give him the benefit of the doubt if the roles were reversed, after all. He just knew she would.

It was finally a week before finals that the Gasman found the most damning piece of evidence of all. He was walking around in the caves that led down to the scientists labs on the island when he heard crying. It was coming from Dr. Martinez's lab. Fearing something was wrong with Dr. Martinez or his sister or someone else he cared about, Gazzy quickly headed that way.

When he got to Valencia's lab though, he found that it was Max, standing there with her mother, crying. Not sobbing or anything like that, no way, Max never did anything like that, but she was clearly upset.

"Max, it's okay," Dr. Martinez was saying. "It's not ideal, of course, but it's not…well, not the end of the world."

"You're just happy because now you get to, like, experiment with it," Max accused through tears as she stood there in her mother's lab. She clearly thought they were alone. Gasman just stood at the entrance, transfixed.

"Max, how could you say that? I-"

"Because I know you and the way that you-" Max stopped talking suddenly, feeling eyes on her. Turning, she saw the Gasman standing there, who immediately wished he had Fang's power of invisibility. When she saw him, Max immediately turned from him, wiping at her eyes before turning to look at him again.

"H-Hey, Gazzy," she got out as Valencia only sighed. "Did you need something?"

He could only shake his head slightly, just staring at her.

"Well…did you hear any of that?"

Gulping, he shook his head again. Max looked relieved, but still walked over to him. Too scared to move, the Gasman just stood there as she leaned down to stare him in the eyes, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's real important, sweetie, that you don't say anything about this to anyone, alright?" She stared right into his eyes, into his soul, as she spoke. "Can you do that for me?"

He nodded that time.

"Thank you." She patted his cheek that time. "I'll tell people eventually, of course, but when I'm ready. Only you and Fang know, alright? So don't even tell your sister. And definitely don't tell mine or Nudge. Can you do that?"

That time, instead of nodding, he stammered out, "M-Max?"

"Yes?"

"Y-You look really…pale."

That made her smile slightly before kissing his cheek. Cooties were the last of his worries as he went ridged with fear.

"Go play, Gasman," she said as she righted herself, not even acknowledging what he had said. "I have things to do, alright? See you at your little soccer tournament thing, huh?"

He only nodded slightly as Max went back over to her mother to finish speaking her. Swallowing hard as he turned, he was flooded with a thousand realizations all at once.

Max was a vampire. She knew that he knew she was a vampire. She was going to suck his blood. He just knew she was going to suck his blood.

…It was his job to stop her. He had to. Fang would never have the courage too. It wasn't only his life on the line. It was everyone on the island.

Gasman was going to have to do it. He was going to have to drive a stake right through Max's heart.

First things first though, he had to get some help.

* * *

><p><strong>Was working on another Halloween themed one-shot for Maximum Ride when I thought of this idea and decided to work on it instead. Sorry about the choppiness of this chapter, it's not normally how I write, but it's just how I decided to make this story go. I think it flows well though, for the most part. Thinking there will only be one more chapter and I should have it out by tomorrow, if not before. Hopefully.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Gazzy the Vampire Slayer

Chapter 2

"Max is what?"

"I know, I know. It's sounds really weird, but-"

"Gasman, are you crazy? Max isn't a vamp-"

"Angel keep your voice down!" He let out a short huff of a breath. "Did you even listen to the evidence that I just presented you with?"

She made a face. "So what? Max and Fang bit each other. And Max is sick or something and garlic made her stomach upset. And Dr. Martinez is worried about her sick daughter."

"Sick with vampirism!"

"Gasman-"

"Why else would Max bite Fang? She's clearly practicing for a feeding."

"Maybe…maybe couples bite each other."

"Angel." He gave her a hard look then. "Why would a girlfriend bite her boyfriend except if she were a vampire?"

"Maybe it's like kissing?"

"How is biting anything like kissing?"

"I don't know! They're both gross."

Gasman shook his head slightly as he paced back and forth in Angel's hut. "And what about Max not liking the sun? Fang said it himself. He clearly knows."

"Gasman, how would Max just suddenly become a vampire? I mean-"

"She just suddenly grew gills, didn't she?"

"Well-"

"Didn't she?"

"I don't think that you can just become a vampire overnight though. I-"

"It wasn't overnight, Angel. It was a slow build. I'm telling you that-"

"Gazzy, you have to admit that it sounds-"

"Look, are you going to help me with Max or what? Because there's no way that Fang is going to-"

"Maybe we should just ask Max," Angel said slowly. "And-"

"But she will just lie. Don't you get that?"

"But if she's lying, I'll just be able to read her mind. Right?"

Gasman didn't even blink. "No, idiot. If Max is a vampire, than she is the undead. She doesn't have a brain anymore."

"I thought that was zombies?"

"Angel, does it matter? This is Max, okay? Stop focusing on minor details!"

Oh, so he was going to start yelling at her then? Crossing her arms, Angel said, "If you're going to be a bully, I'm just going to go tell on you to Max and then let her suck your blood."

"Angel, this is important."

"So is deciding if she's a vampire or a zombie!"

"She's a vampire, Angel."

"Why because you said she was?"

"No, because she just is, alright?"

"Max is not a vampire!"

"Yes, she is. Yes, she is. Yes, she is!"

"What the heck is going on in here?"

Both Gasman and his younger sister froze as Nudge came into the hut, frowning at both of them.

"Seriously, guys, what are you fighting about?" Nudge put her hands on her hips and took that older kid tone that she had suddenly developed. It was so annoying when she thought she was, like, Max or something. Ugh. "You better tell me or else I'll go get Max and Fang-"

"No," both kids screamed causing Nudge to frown and become even more suspicious.

"What exactly is going on?"

"None of your business," the Gasman said, making a face at her. "You're not our boss. We-"

"Oh, I'm not? Then let me go and talk to your boss."

"Who is my-"

"She's talking about Max, stupid," Angel said, frowning at her brother. "And no, Nudge, you can't go and tell Max."

"The heck I can't." She had that defiant look then which was more annoying than the grownup look. Double ugh. "If you don't tell me right now exactly what it is that is going on, then I'm going to go and get Max right now."

Angel snorted before looking off. "So you can't handle this on your own? I mean-"

"Tell me. Now."

Gasman let out a long sigh then before slowly asking, "Nudge? What does it mean when a girlfriend bites her boyfriend?"

"Uh…I don't know. That they're bored in the bedroom?"

"Wh-What?"

She grimaced then before saying, "Never mind. What are you talking about?"

"Max bit Fang."

Nudge blinked. Then she said, "Is that what's on his neck? I thought it was a hickey, but then I thought it was just a pimple or-"

"No, she bit him. I heard them talking about it."

Nudge shrugged slightly. "That's not that big of a deal."

"Oh it isn't, Nudge? It really isn't?"

Frowning at the Gasman, she said, "Yeah, it isn't."

"What about the fact that Max doesn't like the light? Or that she hates garlic? Or that she's really, really pale? Do you know what that means, Nudge? Do you? Do you?"

"Um, that you're way too involved in Max's life?"

"No," the Gasman hissed at the girl. "It means that Max is a vampire, Nudge."

And she lost it. Really badly. She just kept laughing and laughing. Good ol' Gasman. He really was good at building up a joke.

Then she noticed the fact that neither Angel nor Gasman were laughing.

"Wait," she said through an iffy breath. "You two are serious. Aren't you?"

"Yes," Gazzy hissed. "Of course we freaking are."

Nudge only gave them a weary look. "I'm seriously about to go tell everyone about this. You guys are so cute. You-"

"Nudge this is serious," Gazzy insisted. "If Max is a vampire-"

"Zombie," Angel mumbled.

"-then do you know what that means?"

"That Max is a vampire," Nudge said slowly. "I mean, what else could it mean?"

"It means that she's going to eventually get hungry and feast on who, Nudge? Think about it? Who would she eat first?"

"What are you-"

"If Max disliked someone in the Flock ,who would it be?"

"…Iggy?"

"Oh, no, Nudge, it would be you."

"Wh-What?"

Gasman was completely lying at that point, but it was really his only chance at getting Nudge on his side. He knew if he caused her to be afraid, she'd switch over to their team immediately. And when the other team was Team Max the Vampire, what other option did she really have?

Angel, feeding easily off her brother, shrugged her shoulders. "You know, Nudge, Max has always liked the dark meat."

Nudge froze then before glancing back and forth between the two kids. They were a joint front for once though and only stared back at her.

"Max says it all the time that you're her least favorite," Angel said, shaking her head slightly. "Everyone knows it. I thought you did too."

"I…well…she is kind of rude to me."

"And she's gong to be even worse when she gets…hungry."

"H-Hungry?"

"For blood," Gasman said, nodding is head in confirmation. "Do you want your blood drained from your body? I know I don't."

"Max isn't…Max can't be…"

"Nudge, I have already gone over this, alright? I-"

"What about the mirror test?"

"The mirror test?"

Nudge nodded then before walking over to her pile of stuff in the corner of the hut her and Angel shared. Shaking her head, she realized how foolish it was to really think that Max was a…vampire. Dumb really. Gasman and Angel were just stupid kids.

"You've never heard of the mirror test?" Nudge produced a mirror that she had gotten once when they were off the island, accompanying Max on business. It was rare that they went, so she always made sure to bring back essentials when she did get a chance to go. Like makeup and mirrors. "A vampire does not have a reflection."

"What?"

"And what about the running water test?"

"The…the what?"

"The running water test, guys." Nudge turned to look at them. "Tell me you did the running water test."

"What's that?"

"If she were a vampire, she can't cross running water. And have you tried the invitation test?"

"What are you-"

"Max can't go into places without being invited. Have you tried that?"

"I don't-"

"You idiots," Nudge grumbled. "You haven't even tried any of the tests. You don't-"

"Why do we need to keep testing what we know is true?" the Gasman growled then, annoyed that Nudge was showing him up. And over something so serious. He was the experts when it came to all things supernatural. You wanna find a ghost? Call Gazzy. Summoning a demon? He'd read every comic on the topic. Want to bring someone back from the dead? Knew all there was about Dr. Frankenstein. How freaking dare Nudge suggest otherwise. Where the heck did she get off anyways, huh? "Max is a vampire, Nudge, and you can't convince us otherwise."

"Well, I'm still pretty sure she's a zombie, but whatever."

Gazzy growled. "Be quiet, Angel!"

"Guys, this is really silly, alright?" Nudge shook her head at them. "Especially the part about Max not liking me. Max loves me. Way more than you, Gazzy."

"Not more than me," Angel said and no one disputed that. What was the point?

"Not way more than me, Nudge!" Gasman was annoyed by that point. "Max and I are very close."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Angel groaned then. "Guys aren't we kind of wasting time? I mean, it's going to get dark soon. If we're going to kill Max, it has to be during the day, right?"

"Why?" Nudge asked.

"Duh!" Gasman was about done with her at that point. "She'd burn up."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nudge," Angel said slowly, frowning. "When vampires go out into the light, they fry or burst into flames."

"Vamoose!" Gasman said, throwing up his hands in excitement. He loved Max and everything, but to see that happen to her would not be wholly unimpressive.

"No," Nudge said, frowning. "She'd just, like, sparkle really badly, right?"

Angel and Gasman only stared her for a second before sighing. Disappointment.

"Anyways," Gasman said after closing his eyes and counting to ten to resist telling Nudge that she was part of the downfall of not only horror, but also humanity in general. It was harder than one would imagine. "We're going to have to drive a stake through her heart. It's the only way. So, Angel, you're going to have to go find one."

"Me? I think we need to dismantle her brain seeing as she's a, you know, zombie!"

"A person can only do zombies one time in their life, Angel! They're done, through, overdone. Been there, done that. No more zombies. Ever. Alright?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Give up on the past!"

"Alright, you idiots, shut up now." Nudge was about done with them. Letting out a slow breath, she said, "Let's say Max isn't a vampire."

"But-"

"How can I prove to you that she isn't?"

"…Take her out in the sun?"

"Even if she sparkled, Gazzy, she might just have some sort of glitter lotion on."

"Can we just drive a stake through her heart?" Angel mumbled softly to her brother who only nodded. It seemed like the best solution anyhow.

"I heard that." Nudge gave them an evil look. "Look, what if we take a mirror, huh? And you see Max in it? Will that-"

"You can do whatever you want, Nudge, but I'm going to freaking find something to drive through the vampire's heart." Gasman took off running then, right out of the hut. "You had better hope that you get to her first. 'cause when I do, I'm finishing this."

* * *

><p>Don't get the kid wrong, Gasman loved Max. He really did. He would never say it, he wouldn't even think it, really, but it just went without saying. Without any thought process behind it. Of course he loved Max, somewhere deep down in his tortured little body. Of course he did.<p>

But he also liked the sunlight more. He liked eating squirrel and garlic was great. Smelled something awful afterwards, but over all, great. And he wasn't completely opposed to religion. And the whole banishment to Hell when he finally did die wasn't exactly an overwhelming ring of encouragement to get bitten. And if he got bitten at his age at the moment, he'd be stuck that way forever. Something told him that he was not at the ideal age. (Not if he was going to look like Fang and Iggy when he got older. Women would be all over him. And he definitely wouldn't end up with flakes like Max or Ella. Ew.)

So he went to work, searching for the prefect tree branch to rip through Max's chest. It had to be perfect, after all. He had to get her the first time, else she might bite him or something. Or Fang might attack him.

And yeah, things on the island would change after he killed Max, but for the better. Hopefully. Better than they would have been if everyone were vampires, at the very least. Dr. Martinez and Fang might hate him, maybe even Ella, but everyone else would praise him. They would think of him as their new savior. In theory, he would replace Max as the boss.

The boy wasn't power hungry, but wasn't oppose to that thought either.

He did find him self sniffling at one point though, when he finally found the perfect branch and went to work with his pocket knife at sharpening it to a sharp point. Max was kinda like his mother. And protector. And all he had. She was more important than Iggy, Angel, and Fang combined. Even when the Flock was divided, separated, or everyone hated each other, he knew that Max would protect him at all costs.

But he had to be a big boy. He was not a child any longer. And some times grownups had to put on their adult belts and take care of business. As much as he loved Max, as much as he cared for her, one life did not outweigh the value of all others.

So he wiped his eyes, snorted out a big loogie, before finding the resolve that Max herself had instilled in him to do the very hard stuff that life threw at you. She always told him that when it came down to it, you just knew what was right and what was wrong. It was right to kill a vampire. It was wrong to let your love of the said human that used to be that vampire stop you from putting an end to their reign of terror.

And yeah, okay, so maybe if vampires were the happy-go-lucky beings that stupid Nudge thought they were, he would leave Max alone. It might have even been cool. But it wasn't, they weren't, and most certainly, vampires did not…_sparkle_.

It took some searching to find Max. He thought, obviously, that she would be in the labs, as there was no way that she could walk out in the sunlight. She must have some sort of tunnel or something that led back to her hut, because that's where he finally found her. He just so happened to be heading up the path at the same time as Nudge, who was slightly behind him. When they spotted each other, they both took off running. She had a mirror in her hand and clearly had just as much of an intent as Gasman. He was going to get there first though. He just knew it.

Max was in her little pallet on the ground when he entered, but Fang wasn't around. She was curled up in a ball, sleeping. She looked so peaceful that it shocked him for a moment as he stood there, staring at her. She was just Max. Maximum Ride.

She was his unofficial mommy…

"Gasman," Nudge hissed as she got into the hut as well, panting slightly as she was out of breath. Nudge saw island life as more of a chance to, well, relax. And not work out. It wasn't like weight gain was a problem or that not getting a man was an issue, so why the heck would she work out? Huh?

…Apparently for situations like the one she was in at that moment.

"Look," Nudge hissed as she held up the little mirror in her hands and pointed it at Max. Her reflection showed. "You see? Max is not-"

"Guys are you in here?" Angel popped her head into the hut before letting out a slow breath. Then she showed them what she had in her head and they all frowned, taking a step back. It was a cleaver, clearly stolen from someone else on the island. Maybe she got it from down in the laps. "Here. To dismantle the brain."

Gasman glared at her then. "What are you talking about, Angel? I'm going to stab her through the-"

"You can see her freaking reflection, Gasman," Nudge practically yelled then. To hell with keeping Max asleep. "That means-"

"That means nothing, Nudge! You thought she would freaking sparkle. Why would I ever take your opinion on anything again, much less vampires?"

She growled then. "That's what they do in the sunlight, Gasman."

"How would you know?"

"Everyone knows that!"

Max's eyes flung open then and Gasman had to take his chance. He had no choice. He lunged for her.

…She threw him right back off. With her superhuman vampire strength, of course.

"What is wrong with you guys?" She frowned at them all, but did a definite double take at the sight of her precious little baby Angel holding a cleaver. Then, in a tight voice, she said, "You all have ten seconds to explain this. Nudge?"

"Um…Uh…how do you feel about dark meat?"

"What?" Then she took a deep breath before letting out a loud call of, "Fang! Come get them. I thought you were just outside? Fang!"

He apparently was as he appeared in the doorway not a moment later. "Was taking a shit. What's wrong?"

"Language. And I don't know. They just-"

"Guys, Max is deal with some stuff, alright?" Fang frowned at them all before going to take the cleaver from Angel. "And this is not appropriate for you. Now buzz off."

"But Fang-" Angel whined as he took it from her.

"No buts. Now go."

"But Max is-"

"Max is a vampire!" Gasman got to his feet quickly before looking around for his homemade stake. Where'd it go? Well crap. "And I have to kill her. I know it's hard, but-"

"What are you talking about?" Max was getting up from the pallet then, staring at the Gasman. "Is this some kind of joke? Gasman-"

"You be quiet. I know al about you. Not liking garlic, not liking the sun, being pale, biting Fang-"

"Whoa, whoa. Max didn't _bite_ me, Gazzy. Not like that. We were…well…"

"Bored in the bedroom?" Angel asked, all innocent and sweet causing Nudge to slam her fists against her head.

"What?"

"Ugh, Gazzy, leave me alone." Max put a hand to her head as Fang whispered harshly to Angel that that was not an proper thing to say. "I just-"

"No! Not until you-"

"I'm not a vampire, alright?"

"Then what was going on with you and your mom? Huh? I-"

"Gasman, I thought you understood what was going on?"

"Yeah, I did. You have vampirism!"

She blinked. Then, slowly, she went to sit back down. Fang was done with Angel and moved on to Nudge, putting a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"You couldn't have dealt with this?"

"Well…They said Max didn't like me!"

"Nudge," he sighed.

"If you're not a vampire, what's wrong with you, Max?" The Gasman came closer. "Are you sick or something?"

"Are you a zombie?" Angel asked. "'cause if so, I'mma need my meat cleaver back."

Fang sent her a look. "Not funny."

"I'm not either of those, alright?" She swallowed before looking up at him. "I'm…Gazzy."

"You're gassy?" Nudge stopped laughing when Fang's grip on her shoulder tightened. He spoke to his girlfriend though.

"Max, you don't have to explain anything to them. And if they don't get out of here right now, I-"

"I'm pregnant, guys," Max said slowly, looking up at them each in turn. "And the garlic just upset my stomach. The smell. And I…Fang and I were just kissing when I bit him."

Nudge only frowned before jerking away from Fang. "You weren't just kissing when you got pregnant."

"Of course not, Nudge, but thank you for telling that to the kids. Thank you so much." Max gave her a sharp look. "It obviously happened before, but I just love you for pointing that out. You are so-"

"What about the sunlight?" Gasman came closer. "And-"

"She wasn't feeling well," Fang told him then. "She was resting. And upset."

"You're gonna…have a baby?" Angel frowned then before making a face. "Like a real baby?"

"Yeah, Ange, I am."

Nudge seemed conflicted then. The thought of Max having a baby was fun and fanciful, but by the same token, the knowledge that she and Fang were…doing the dirty disgusted her to no end. Ew. Just ew.

"Open your mouth," Gasman said then and, though she didn't feel like it, Max obliged. Then he investigated. "No fangs."

"Believe me, one is enough."

"Hn." He took a step back then. "So you're really pregnant?"

"I promise."

"…That's nasty."

"Thank you, Gasman."

"But…I'm glad." He let out a sigh. "That I don't gotta kill you. Not about the baby. They're nasty. But I'm glad that you don't gotta die."

That time she smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"You guys can't tell anyone," Fang said then, sounding way more serious than anyone else had that day. "At all. I mean it. I-"

"What about all those talks, Max? Huh? About being safe? And if you can't be safe, don't do it? What about that? What about waiting? What about-"

"Nudge, me and you will talk, I swear it, but just not right now, okay?" Max reached out to pat Gasman on the head. "And I want you all three to hear this. If you _ever_ try to kill me again, I'll let Jeb experiment on you all. And that's a promise."

* * *

><p>"It's okay, Gasman. Look on the bright side, there's always next month."<p>

He just held his head down as he stared at the ground. "I guess so."

"Cheer up, buddy," Fang agreed as Max nodded her head at Nudge's statement. "Next month is just as good as any, huh? And fifth place isn't too bad. You just got knocked out of a silly tournament. You didn't, like, kill your leader of the Flock or anything."

Gasman turned his head up to glare at the teen. "Would you guys stop bringing that up?"

Max only sighed, leaning against Fang as they stood there on the beach after the Gasman's disappointing loss of 3-2. "It's still Halloween, you know? I'm sure Iggy's around somewhere and will make us all dinner. Then we can sit around dand listen to you tell us ghost stories. You always like that."

"Guess so." He only sighed though, kicking at the ground. "I was just really-"

"Here you guys are." Angel came bouncing up all of a sudden, Iggy and Ella right behind her. "I thought I smelled a loser."

"Hey!"

"Angel," Fang sighed as he wrapped an arm around Max. "You could at least try and be supportive of your brother. He tried really hard."

"He's the one that missed the final goal. One shot, Gasman. You had one shot. And you blew it. Good going. Good-"

"Enough." Max frowned at Angel before looking over at Iggy. "You up for making some dinner for us? Without any of your…special ingredients?"

"Sure," he said before elbowing Ella. That was her cue to smile, showing off a pair of pearly white…fangs. Gasman just so happened to look up at the right moment and see them. He only widened his eyes before taking off running, never looking back. Max groaned while Nudge giggled.

"Like 'em?" Iggy asked, having no idea the boy took off. "We traded to-"

"What's his problem?" Ella grumbled after she spit them out into her hand. "I was going to wash them off and give them to him?"

"Who?" Iggy asked. "Gazzy? Did he leave?"

Max only shook her head before pushing Fang's shoulder. "Go get him."

"Me?"

"You."

"What's wrong?" Ella asked. "I was only-"

"It's a long story," Max sighed as Angel quickly moved to grab her had as she walked off, apparently wanting to hold it. She only smiled down at her before swinging it slightly making the girl grin back up at her. "One that I do not feel like retelling right now."

* * *

><p><strong>Late, fine, but I got distracted by some of my other stories. It's still October, anyhow, which means it's not <strong>_**really**_** late. Right? **


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